Monster
by XxRedxX
Summary: After being traumatized by what the Infection did to her family, a lone Survivor struggles to live in a world gone mad. And though companionship can be found in the strangest of places, what length will she go to in order to obtain it?
1. This world is our hell

_**(This is my second time having to type this disclaimer/intro! Red not happy!!! D= )**_

_**Amazingly I LIVE!!! And I DO plan on updating Behind this Screen and Sound Ninja Six, I just wanted to try out a different writing style.**_

**_Left 4 Dead belongs to the awesome people at Valve._**

* * *

Today, I tried looking at the sun.

_And then, I realized… It's just a ball of flames…_

_But that made me wonder…_

_How does it hang there…?_

Through the angular corners of nearby buildings, a thin, pale, yellow ray of sunlight struggled to make it's mark on the world. The few remaining birds in the city fluffed up their feathers against the chill of the near-winter morning and the sparse animals opened their mouths in a wide yawn, greeting the day, slinking out of their hiding places to soak up a few seconds of warmth before darting away once more.

The air was heavy with the scent of blood and decay, slightly tinged with the smell of burnt flesh. And as the first humanoid creature clumsily stumbled into the street, the city suddenly came to life. The feral growls of the Infected rang out, telling the nearby animals that it was time to flee once more, and the temporary calm that came with the early morning had ended. Soon the streets were filled with torn, bloody creatures that were once human. The buildings were crawling with Hunters, looking for their next kill and growling at anything that came too close. The occasional Smoker could be seen, perching on a rooftop and shuddering with coughs, slowly being surrounded by the accumulated smoke that radiated from their bodies. In the distance, a loud, aggressive roaring could be heard, a Tank.

And to think, this was once a bustling city, filled with normal humans and their families… It was a nauseating thought, what the infection had done to the human race. What was once on the top of the food chain was now ala carte for their former kin, eager for another to join their ranks. And those that were immune had a fate worse than death waiting for them- to simply be killed in one of the many gruesome ways the Infected had developed. Crushed, burned with acid, clawed, torn to bits, pounded into the ground and on occasion _'humped' _or _'ridden'_. It was amazing, in a sick, twisted way, what weapons the former humans had developed in order to kill Survivors.

_But humanity isn't going down that easily… _I thought with the tiniest of grins as I stared out of the dust streaked window and into the zombie flooded streets below. _At least not without a fight, that is…_ Turning around with a yawn, I picked up my shotgun off of the ragged, musty bed. It was difficult getting sleep when you weren't in a Safe House. I had to spend half of the night making sure everything was completely secure so no Infected could get in while I got as much sleep as possible. I spent the rest of the night taking them down so I could continue on my way.

_Don't let the Infected bite…_ I had read that on a wall somewhere and it stuck. Sleeping was dangerous. Not sleeping was even more lethal. Getting caught off guard by the Infected was the worst one of them all. As far as I could tell, I was the only non-Infected human in the city. It had been days since gunshots had last rang out that didn't come from me. It was a depressing thought, but also a good one. Less people meant more supplies for me. It was survival of the fittest, and I _really _didn't feel like dying anytime in the near future.

Throwing a cracking, wooden board to the side with distaste, I readied my weapon and kicked the door open, preparing to run. It rattled, the sound ringing out throughout the apartment I was hiding in. As the door swung back and forth on rusted hinges, I sprinted down the hall as fast as I could, blue converse sneakers pounding on the floor in rhythm with my heart beat. A few Common Infected stuck their heads out of vacant rooms, curious, and I responded by firing off a few blasts with my shotgun and painting the walls a pretty shade of bright red.

Nearing the staircase, I pushed off the railing using one hand and landed soundly on the first step with a loud thump. Readying my weapon, I charged as fast as I could, almost slipping on the coagulated blood and entrails still left over from last night when I made the same trip to get to my hiding place. Reaching the bottom with little trouble, I slammed open the door, almost blasting it off it's hinges, and ran out into the street.

There were less Infected then before, but around a dozen were still lingering. They whipped their blood-encrusted heads around to share a quick glance with me before letting out a wild scream of hunger or rage, and charging. Hanging on tightly to my gun, I swing it as hard as I could in a wide arc, knocking the Infected back. As they paused, stunned, I fired, splattering the surrounding area with crimson liquid and clearing a path for me. I ran until it felt like my legs were going to fall off, shoes splashing through puddles of rainwater mixed with blood. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a flash of grey, and paused, realizing it was supplies left behind by another Survivor or the less than reliable CEDA.

Scanning my surroundings to make sure there weren't any Infected around, I jogged over. There was a pile of ammo, which I graciously filled my pockets with, three Molotov's and a Pipe Bomb. Knowing I could only take one, I grabbed the bomb and hooked it onto my belt for later use. A scream in the distance told me it was time to move on.

I continued to fight my was across town as the sun continued to rise in the sky, making my surroundings boiling hot and the scent of gore almost unbearable. Needless to say it wasn't one of the most pleasant things I had to experience. There was little time for rest. Every time I paused to catch my breath, there was a scream and the pounding of feet coming towards me- A Horde. By the time the sun was high in the sky, I was exhausted, not to mention completely soaked in blood and other things I really didn't want to think about- Not that I had time to anyways. Since I was alone even the weakest Smoker, Hunter, Charger or Jockey could easily kill me. Not to mention Tanks or Witches. The slightest slip in focus could cost me my head.

Distracting myself from that wonderful thought, I blew the heads off a few Infected, splattering grey matter across the concrete, and sprinted down the street. The horror of our apocalypse no longer scared me like it used to. It was kill or be killed. I knew that now. I wasn't so naïve like I was when this ordeal first began. I was hardened, emotionless, and I would do anything in order to survive. It was, after all, in human nature.

Clearing any Infected in sight out of the street, I paused, bending over and gasping for air. My rest didn't last long, however, as a loud, animal like scream sounded out, and I just managed to jump backwards in order to avoid the Hunter trying to rip me to shreds.

Growling in irritation, I raised up my gun, about to shoot, when the Special Infected clawed at my weapon, knocking it out of my hands. I stared at him for a millisecond in stunned silence, before diving for the shotgun right as he pounced. The move resulted in the Hunter soaring over my head, just missing by mere inches, and myself landing hard on the concrete within arm's reach of my weapon.

Ignoring the thin trails of blood trickling from my scraped elbows, I shot my arm out in a desperate attempt to grab my gun and shoot the Infected. He growled threateningly, taking a step closer, and I paused, looking up as time seemed to freeze.

It was obviously male- I had never seen any female Hunters, though I could recall shooting a female Smoker once- and from his size I could tell he wasn't very old. His body was very slender, just hinting slightly at the growth of muscle, and there were clumps of wild dark hair that ended at his chin sticking out of his hood and covering what could be seen of his eyes. It was a shame, really. He must have been young when he became Infected, maybe in his mid to late teens.

A loud roaring and what almost seemed like a miniature earthquake jolted me out of my thoughts. Both my head and the Hunter's whipped around at the sound of the noise. A Tank, perhaps the one I had heard earlier, was ripping a chunk of concrete out of the ground and lifting it over his head, getting ready to throw it at me.

Everything seemed to be going in slow motion, adrenaline flooded through my veins as my eyes widened in fear. My heart pounded in my ears as I grabbed my shotgun and pointed it in front of me, and at the Hunter. I paused slightly, staring at him for a fraction of a second, before aiming at the airborne slab of rock and firing. It shattered, showering us with rubble. The small Infected whipped his head around, staring at me in an almost curious way.

I stared back, taking time to mutter only one word. "_Run._" Then, getting up, I leveled my gun at the monstrous Infected and shot as fast as I could. By the time I had a chance to look down, the Hunter was already gone.


	2. I don't need you

_I was thinking…_

_Nursery rhymes are scary…_

_They seem like childish tales…_

_But when you really stop and think about them…_

_It chills you to the bone…_

I slammed my hands down on the rusted door, putting all my strength into closing it as quickly as I could. Tiny flecks of faded red paint fell to the ground around my feet as it closed with a loud slam. I slid the iron bar into place and stepped back as multiple grey-tinged arms shot through the openings and waved around, grasping at air.

"Try to get me now, shit heads…" I muttered in a venomous tone, spitting on the ground in distaste. It had taken hours to get away from the Tank, and even after I managed to escape, I still had to find a Safe House while fighting off the Horde and anything else I had the misfortune to come across. Needless to say, I was irritable and exhausted.

Turning around, I grabbed a bright red Medkit, one of four, and unzipped it. Grabbing some disinfectant and a roll of gauze I plopped down on a pile of boxes containing imperishable food- whoever made this Safe House was well prepared, thankfully. Biting the end, I pulled down one sleeve and began wrapping it with thick gauze, soaking a part of the strip in disinfectant and hissing when it burned.

Outside, the Infected continued to scream and pound on the door, with no results. They weren't getting in anytime soon- these Safe Houses had been from hell and back at this point.

After I finished bandaging my wounds, I dug through the boxes until I found a sleeping bag. Crawling inside it and yelling a hasty 'SHUT. UP.' to the Infected, I closed my eyes, hoping a Tank wouldn't show up.

_Don't let the Infected bite… _I thought, as the scream of a Hunter rang out in the night, echoing for a few seconds before fading away. Though by then, I was already asleep.

"_RUN!!" _

"_SOMEONE HELP ME!!"_

"_AAARRGGHH!! IT HURTS!!"_

_My sneakers pounded on the linoleum floor, a sickly green color, spotted with patches of fresh blood. I tried my best to ignore the screams of agony and fear as innocent people were torn to shreds. It made me feel sick, but there was no other choice. It was me or them, and I couldn't afford to die. _

_Stepping around a Teacher, writing in pain in a puddle of his own blood as his skin began losing it's color, I opened the nearest door and emptied out my backpack on the bed. Running over to the dresser, I shoved as many articles of clothing inside as possible before opening the window and climbing down a ladder attached to the side of the building 'in case of fire'._

_Heh. Fire my ass._

_Landing on the ground and deciding if I ever got out of this alive I would need a LOT of therapy, I made a run for it. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done- the moment I hit the ground five of the monsters rushed at me, trying to kill me. Not knowing what to do- What could I do?!- I held my arms up in front of my face and screamed. _

"_GET AWAY!!" _

_Droplets of blood splattered my face as I opened my eyes and looked up. "Terra?" The person in front of me was covered in filth ranging from dirt to what looked like grey matter. In one fist, there was a small handgun, clenched tightly. "T-terra…?" My voice was at a very high pitch, like that of a child's. Whoever this was, it wasn't my sister. _

_She turned around, eyes seemingly burning a hole through me. "Did those assholes bite you, Naomi?" I shook my head frantically. "Good."_

"_Terra, what happened… Why…" Terra was my older sister and resident 'Perfect Child' of my family. She was smart, athletic and had many friends. I was temperamental, lazy and a loner. We were, essentially, complete opposites._

"_Well I couldn't let these shit heads hurt my little sister, now could I?" Her only visible flaw was a tendency to curse under stress. "Besides, they aren't that difficult to kill. A couple shots with this-" She held up the gun, "and they were nearly blown to bits."_

"_Where did you get the gun…?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. _

_She shrugged. "When I figured out what was happening, I went to the office. The secretary that works at the desk covered in Winnie the Pooh characters keeps a gun in the drawer. Dumb bitch forgot to take it with her."_

_I blinked, mentally slapping myself for freezing when the creatures tried to attack me. Of course Terra knew what to do. She always did. One step ahead, as usual._

"_So what do we do now…?" I asked after a few seconds. "We can't stay here. That much is obvious." Our eyes moved as one to look at the apocalyptic scene of insanity around us. _

"_Dunno. I'd be perfectly happy sitting around and blowing the brains out of these jerks." Terra muttered viciously. "Guess we should go home." I nodded vigorously in response. "There's one problem, though…"_

"_What is it?" I asked, instinctively tilting my head to the side. _

_She sighed. "I don't have many bullets left and…" Her voice dropped to a horse, defeated whisper. "I'm not sure we have a home to go back to at this point. What if it spread? What if the same thing is happening back home, right now? And what if we don't make it in time?"_

"_So, what, we should sit around and blast the heads off of these… These damn zombies all day long?!" I snapped, as my temper flared up, fists clenching in anger. "I don't know about you, but to me, giving up is just like signing my own death warrant! We have to do something!"_

_Sighing again, my sister nodded. "I think if we run, we can make it to my truck.. Just don't let these things bite you. I've seen what happens, and it's not pretty." _

_A sharp nod, and we both began running as the ground began to shake. "W-what's that?!"_

"_I don't know, but I don't plan on finding out. RUN!"_

Opening my eyes, I struggled to untangle my body out of the pretzel-like shape I had been sleeping in. Scrunching my face into a look of deep thought, I tried to remember what I had been dreaming about, giving up a few seconds later. Turning around, I watched the light from the rising sun slowly wiggle it's was into the Safe House through the gaps between the bars on the door. Sitting there in a trance, I waited for the screaming of Infected to start. That was my cue to get moving.

Dimly, in the back of my mind, I acknowledged I should have been scared about my mental state. After all, the highlight of my day had become mass murdering rabid humans with my favorite shotgun. Then again… Did it really matter? I was alone. I was going to die. I had accepted that. The only thing I wasn't sure about was how and when.

With that cheery thought, and the sound of bone-chilling screaming, I grabbed my shotgun and kicked open the door ready for another day in hell. Population? Depends on my mood.

_I would have made one hell of a cop… Or a serial killer… _

I let out a dry, humorless laugh, before blowing the head off the nearest Infected.

After hours of killing Zombies, the human mind had a habit of drifting off into la-la land while the body went on autopilot. By the time I snapped out of my trance, the sun was in the middle of the sky, and I was hiding in an alley drenched in quickly-hardening blood. With a defeated sigh, I sank to the ground, putting my gun across my lap for a few seconds of thought. I needed to get out of the city. From the posters I had seen, there were a few possible evacuation zones. The problem was, I didn't know which ones were still functioning and which ones were overrun with murderous Infected. And I didn't have the time nor the firepower to check them all.

"Well… I guess I deserve this…" I muttered with a heavy sigh. My gaze drifted down, ending on my scar-covered hands. Some were from the Infected, others from falling. Some wounds weren't even fully healed. It was amazing what the end of the world could do to a person…

The sound of something metal- a can of some kind…?- rolling across the ground made my head shoot up. Out of instinct, I grabbed my shotgun and fired in the direction, the sound of metal hitting concrete telling me that it was a miss, but by the sharp yelp that sounded out, I didn't miss by much.

I paused, looking for the slightest movement. "Come out now, or else I'll shoot. I don't take kindly to people who try to sneak around behind my back." I heard a small whine, before a figure close to the ground crawled out- a Hunter, crouching on all fours. I was dead.

Knowing there wasn't enough time to defend myself when it was so close, I closed my eyes and hoped death wouldn't be too painful. Though when it never came, I opened my eyes and stared questioningly at the small Infected. He sat down, looking at me through the hair that covered his eyes.

"Well? What is it?" I asked after a second. "Just kill me already." Great. I was talking to a zombie. My sanity was beyond questionable at this point.

The Infected sat down, staring. He was small, I realized, and familiar. "You're the same one from yesterday." I muttered in confusion and realization.

As if in response, the Infected bobbed his head happily, like a dog getting praised by it's owner.

"Well? What do you want?" Did he want to finish what he started- no, what was I thinking?! The Infected were mindless killers. This one was no different. After all, he did try to kill me not even a day before.

As I was thinking, the Hunter was looking around, trying to find something. After a few seconds, he walked- trotted…? He was still on all fours, almost like a dog or wolf.- over to a nearby rock and gestured to it with one clawed hand.

I stared at it for a minute before blinking in realization.

_My heart pounded in my ears as I grabbed my shotgun and pointed it in front of me, at the Hunter. I paused slightly, staring at him for a fraction of a second, before aiming at the airborne slab of rock and firing. It shattered, showering us with rubble. The small Infected whipped his head around, staring at me in an almost curious, contemplative way. _

"I did that to save myself." I said flatly. "I wasn't protecting you from the Tank. I'm your enemy, and as long as I still breathe, we always will be." He let out a small whine of protest, walking over to where I was sitting. My heart began drumming as he reached out a hand and grabbed my gun. He pointed the end at his chest and bobbed his head from side to side.

"Yeah, I didn't shoot you, but I had a _Tank _to worry about. And compared to him, you're about as threatening as a teddy bear." He whined again, dropping the gun and tapping my shoulder repeatedly like a small child. "Just listen, okay?!" I hissed, shrugging away from the contact as my temper flared up. "I. Don't. Like. You. At. All. GOT IT?!" I got up, grasping my shotgun so hard my knuckles turned white. "In fact, out of all the Infected, you Hunters are the ones I hate the most, and why?! You killed everyone! Not just innocent people, but the people I loved! My friends and family! I'm all alone because of you Infected bastards and what do I have to show for it!? NOTHING! The only reason I didn't blow your damn head off was because I was distracted! So don't try to buddy up to me, just because you think I'm some charity worker that takes in stray pups or some lost little girl, because I'm not!" I could feel tears budding up in the corners of my eyes, but I ignored them. "I can take care or myself!!"

With that, I turned and walked away, shoulders shaking like a leaf.

I didn't need anyone… No, I was fine on my own. I didn't _want _anyone else.

_I don't want to see someone else die because of me…_

… _Never again…_

* * *

_**Oh my... Someone has a temper... o__O**_


	3. Desperate

_I always watch them play their games…_

_And as they laugh and have fun…_

_I just stay here…_

_They've given up on asking me to join_…

I walked slowly after that, taking every back alley in a half-hearted attempt to avoid Infected. I didn't like being treated like… Like a helpless child. In my mind there was no greater insult- and by an Infected, no less. Was I really that pathetic? So weak that the very things trying to kill me were actually taking pity on me? It made my face burn in anger.

Besides, I hated the Hunters. They took away everything. And for what? To satisfy the need to kill? That was no reason, no damn reason to leave me all alone. If you want to kill something, finish the job. Don't just slice it's roots to bits and watch as it struggles to survive, horribly scarred and twisted beyond recognition. Just end it.

Of course, I didn't hate that particular Hunter. No, my hatred was directed at the species as a whole. Because of what they did I lost everything…

_"This is wrong…" I murmured, staring out the window with wide, fearful eyes as my breath fogged the glass. Even though it was well into the day, we were driving with the windows up- multiple houses were ablaze, black smoke rising like a poisonous tornado. Occasionally a humanoid-like figure would run by, arms waving and screaming bloody murder. We had long since learned to plow through, human or not. It was every man for themselves, I decided. We would do whatever we could in order to survive._

_"This is just… Wrong…" I repeated over the screams of a man as he was ripped to shreds._

_Terra sighed heavily in response. "Doesn't matter if it's wrong or right. It's happening, and it's happening now." She would make the perfect motivational speaker, I decided. "All you should worry about is not getting bitten. That's how it works with Zombies, right?"_

_"Zombies…" The enormity of our situation weighed down on me. These were Zombies. Real, flesh eating Zombies. "You can't let any of their bodily fluid's get inside of you."_

_"You mean like blood…?"_

_I cleared my throat before speaking. "Well… Blood, saliva… And… Well, urine, I guess…"_

_Terra made this odd, choking noise, like she was trying to smother her vocal chords. "Zombie piss…?" _

_"Well, yeah, in theory!!" I snapped, face reddening. "It never happens in the movies, but then again, urine doesn't sell DVD's, now does it?!"_

_She snickered, but didn't respond. I sighed, melting into the car seat and doing anything I could to avoid looking out the window. I settled on gazing stupidly at the little Fox-keychain Terra had hung from the mirror. It waved back and forth, seemingly taunting me with it's happy, neutral look and painted on whiskers. _

_Suddenly the car jerked to a stop, nearly sending me flying out the windshield and into the street. "What the heck was that for-!" I stopped, words draining back down my throat. Twin pairs of eyes were drawn to the same thing- our house. The outside was a complete mess, but the roof was the worst part. There was a giant chunk of concrete sticking out of it, like a beacon. _

_Shit._

_Shit, shit, shit._

_"Wh-what do we do…?" I whispered. "Terra…?" I pulled my eyes away from the horrifying state of our home to look at my older sister. Her face had gone a deathly pale shade of white. It was a few seconds before I noticed that she was shaking. "T-terra…?"_

_She clenched the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. "Those… Those bastards…" She spat in a tone of pure hate. "I'll kill them if it's the last thing I do…"_

_I flinched at the bloodlust in her voice. I wanted to ask her if she was okay, but for some reason my mouth was having trouble forming words. I just gazed at her like a frightened child, waiting for their parent to tell them what to do. It was all I could do to keep from falling apart. "Terra-" I began, wincing when she turned her deadly gaze onto me. "Should we go in…? I mean… Mom and Dad could still be okay… M-maybe they left, or they could have hidden in the basement…"_

_She made a strange noise, and it took me a few seconds to realize she was chuckling. "Yeah. Sure. I guess we might as well." I could tell she didn't believe there was any form of life whatsoever inside of our former home, but she wanted to humor me. I was too scared to feel annoyed, instead following her inside, though not before grabbing a rusty metal pipe out of the back of her truck. _

_As we walked across the street, I noticed there were no… 'Zombies' around. That scared me more than anything- they could be hiding… Or, maybe they weren't as stupid as we thought. Maybe they were hiding, just waiting to ambush us…_

_Terra raised one foot and kicked the front door off it's hinges with little effort. I considered making a sarcastic comment about knocking first, but it didn't seem like a good time. _

_The inside of our house looked dark and dusty, almost like a haunted mansion or an abandoned museum. Every step we took seemed to echo, as if we were in some kind of horror movie._

_"Hello?" I called warily. "Hello…? Mom, Dad, are you here-!" My shout was cut off by Terra covering my mouth with one hand and putting a finger to her lips, telling me to be quiet._

_Heart pounding, I strained my ears, trying to figure out why Terra didn't want me yelling when I heard it- growling. Something was shuffling around our house. There was a sudden yelp and the sound of metal pots and pans hitting the floor- whatever it was, it was in the kitchen. _

_Slowly, trying not to make noise, we took a few steps forward into the living room. I looked around, making sure the coast was clear. I was about to walk away, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw something slumped in the corner. _

_Bodies._

_Two bodies._

_They were torn nearly beyond recognition, but I could already tell who they were. Completely forgetting about the thing in the kitchen, I screamed, not stopping until Terra clamped her hand over my mouth and instructed me to look away. _

_Repeating what I did in the car, I tried to find something to focus on besides the bodies and noticed it._

_The thing was wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt with tape wrapped around the limbs in certain places. It's hands, I noticed, were scarlet with fresh blood. This was the thing that killed our parents…_

_It leaped, letting out an animalistic scream._

_… And now it was trying to kill us._

_Time seemed to move in slow motion. My breath caught in my throat, and I was dimly aware of the metal pipe I was grasping in one hand._

_I was never good at baseball- or any other sport for that matter- but I swing the pipe like I was trying to win the game with a homerun, bottom of the ninth, with bases loaded. The creature went flying and hit the wall with a sickening 'crack!' There was a moment of hesitation, where everything seemed to stop before being set back into motion. The creature growled, getting back up and preparing to pounce. _

_"SHOOT IT!" I suddenly screamed, snapping out of my stupor. "SHOOT THE DAMN THING!"_

_Terra blinked, also coming out of her trance, and took out the stolen gun. "… Burn in hell…" She muttered in the same murderous tone before pulling the trigger._

_The wall was splattered with fresh blood._

I walked slowly down the street, looking around for the slightest sign of the Infected. I hadn't seen any for a while now and it was starting to bother me. Were they being attracted by Boomer bile…? I dismissed that possibility- there hadn't been any signs of there being other Survivors around. Maybe they were trying to set a trap, like I had thought so long ago, but they didn't seem smart enough. Were they becoming more intelligent…? It seemed like a farfetched theory, but nonetheless, it gave me something to work with.

_Who knows… Maybe someday we could learn to coexist peacefully with Zombies… _I snorted. _Yeah right. And I'm a ten foot tall purple elephant with butterfly wings._

In the distance I could see some sort of flat building used for storage. I wanted to go past it and reach the Safe House before sunset, but I was getting low on ammunition. Not to mention the fact that I was starving, thirsty and exhausted. Against my better judgment, I went inside regardless of the danger.

Inside there seemed to be an inch of dust covering everything and my shoes left footprints in the sea of grey fuzz. Inhaling the slightest amount of dust sent me into a coughing fit that caused my eyes to water like a leaky faucet. I stumbled around, completely miserable, until a particular sound caused me to freeze.

The sound of crying.

"Of all the places…" I muttered in an irritated tone. "I really know how to pick them, don't I…?"

Picking up my shotgun from a dusty table, I walked around, trying to find the location of the crying. It seemed to be coming from upstairs. I tested the steps, making sure they weren't creaky and loud, before going up to the second floor.

The sound of crying was harsher now, closer. I managed to isolate it to one room in particular- a medium sized one with slate grey walls and no windows. It was completely empty- most likely the room was going to be used in the near future- and the only thing moving was a huddled figure right in the center. The Witch had her back to me.

I had read, on the wall of a Safe House, that it is possible to kill a Witch in one shot using a shotgun and shooting her in the back. The technique was called 'Cr0wning'. Well… I had a shotgun, and she was looking away from me, and I couldn't leave her there. It seemed like my lucky day.

Slowly, I took a few more steps into the room, so I was just a few feet away. She growled, turning around and her eyes glowed bright red. I gulped, firing my shotgun and hitting her in the shoulder.

Scratch that, this was _not _my lucky day.

Hearing her enraged scream, I didn't hesitate, and ran down the hall looking for somewhere to hide. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a metal door, and took the opportunity to jump inside and lock it behind me. Turning on my flashlight, I saw that I was in a small room with a broken light bulb hanging from the ceiling and a large shelf taking up most of one wall. It was covered with half-empty bottles of cleaning fluids. I realized I was in a janitor's closet.

Any further inspection of the room was halted as a loud bang caused me to jump a full foot in the air. The metal door shuddered, but held- it was thick, heavy and strong, thankfully.

The door shuddered again and again. I pushed myself against the shelf with cleaning fluid and held my breath, praying the door would hold, squeaking when four claw marks were sliced through the only barrier between me and a pissed off she-Zombie.

I wasn't so scared as I was disappointed. I had accepted that I was going to die, I just didn't want it to be like this, hiding in a janitors closet from a ferocious monster with overgrown fingernails for hands.

From the rips her claws tore in the door, I could see her scarlet eyes, glowing murderously. I thought about shooting her, but then realized I was most likely out of shells. Cursing inwardly, I looked up and glared as she made another large cut in the door.

And then stared in confusion when something seemed to knock her to the ground.

Through the cuts in the door I could see nothing, only hearing the sounds of thrashing and growling. It went on for around ten seconds, ending with a 'thump!' and a noise akin to the yelp of a dog that had just been kicked. I sat on the ground, holding my breath and counting. When I reached sixty and nothing happened, I shakily got to my feet and pushed the door open.

The hallway outside was dotted with splashes of blood and a few scraps of what, upon further inspection, were revealed to be fabric. I stared in confusion before movement drew my attention. I recognized the small Hunter immediately. A large piece of his sweatshirt, around his upper left arm, was torn to shreds and blood soaked. A trail of red footprints told me all I needed to know; he had followed me here and attacked the Witch. She must have gotten her claws stuck on his clothes and ran away.

He sat down, and I could feel his eyes burning a hole into me from under the hood. I sighed. "You refuse to leave me alone, huh?" His expression didn't change, which I took as a 'yes'.

I shook my head, crossing my arms and leaning against the wall. I wasn't entirely sure why the small Infected was so intent on following me around, but it was evident he had no intention of stopping. It was true that I hated Hunters, but what did this one do? Attacked a Witch and got hurt even after I tried to shoo it away. I sighed again, feeling like a jerk after what I said to him earlier. I shouldn't have snapped at him…

… But was I really that desperate for a companion…? Did I really need someone else to help me, to talk to that I would settle for a Zombie…?

Judging from the look on the Infected's face, yes. Yes I was.

Exhaling sharply, I looked up. "Alright. You're really that intent on following me, eh?" He bobbed his head. "… Fine. You can come along… If you want, I mean."

I could see the Infected shoot me a toothy grin. Slinging my shotgun over my shoulder, I motioned for him to follow, which he did without hesitation.

… I wonder what Terra would say if she could see me now… I thought as I walked down the hall. _Chances are, she'd probably call me an insane crazy-ass bastard… Oh well… Maybe I am. _


End file.
